Improvement in keys for locks



anni Usine @nient Gemine.

WEBSTERPARK, or nonw'rea-oonnnorreur Letters PatentNo. 110,491,`da.tevd"`l.'lecen1ber 27, 1870 antedated December 15, 1870.

',iMeRcvi-:MENT I'NYKEVS Eon Locks.

The Schedule. referred -to'ilnz-these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom yit 'may concern: Beit known that I, Wlsirnu PARm-of-the- Figure 3 is a viewiof the stem A ofthe key,l lshowing the groove in which the lever B, Figure 4, form- "ing the bit of the key, operates. -The opera-tion of the key is as follows:

\Vhen inserted in the key-hole of ,tllefloek the shorter arm ot' the lever B strikes the faee of the- .lock and is turned. down into lthe grooveiand heldV`v lirmly there by the lock-plate, thereby raising up and securing the longer arm of the lever to operate the look. The lever turns upona pin in the stem,.z`md is constructed so that it cannot move in opening or closing further thanthe positions' required. A v The nature of my inventionV consists. in inserting .in the stem of a' lock-key an L-shaped lever, which turns-upon a pin passing transversely through the stem, and is so constructed lthat thelonger arm of the lever, which forms the bit of the key, shuts into a groove in the stem, so that the key may' be'inserted into a circular key-hole lno larger than the stem, and when pushed into the look the outer end 0f thershort 'arm ol' the lever strikes against the side of the keyv Y hole and is pressed back into the key-stem and held firmly there by the inner edge of the lockeplate surrounding the :key-hole until the key is partly withdrawn from thelock, thus securing the long arm or bit upright to operate the lock in the same manner as the ordinary key.

The short arm o f thelever should/be made only long enough to. prevent its being left unsecured by the surrounding key-holewhenvlhe key is fullyinsei-ted in the lock; and the Lshaped lever should be rounded ont in the inner angle, so as easily to turn astride of the edge of the lock-plate through which the key-hole is made.v

By this improvement no change .is required to be made in the lock except to close up all but the central circular part of the key-hole.

v XVhile I am aware that keys with movable bit-.sare A u in use, the object of thisv improvement is to accom-,-

plish the same resultv by mechanism of the simplest' kind, which isvbothcheap and ecient, no springs being used to throw outthe bit, nor does the bit act 1by its own weight or by pressure at the end ofthe.

stein. I claim as my invention- A lock-key, constructed as described, having a round, gropved stem, A, in which is arranged an L- shaped lever or bit, B, so adjusted as to turn asti-ide `the edge -ot' the lock-plate when entering a circular key-hole, substantially as'aud for the purpose set forth.

Y y WEBSTER PAR-K.

Witnesses:

GEO. W. CILLY,

A. F. PARK. 

